point spread

noun

1. a betting device, established by oddsmakers and used to attract bettors for uneven competitions, indicating the estimated number of points by which a stronger team can be expected to defeat a weaker team, the point spread being added to the weaker team's actual points in the game and this new figure then compared to the stronger team's points to determine winning bets.

Word History and Origins

Origin of point spread¹

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55

Example Sentences

For NFL fans used to thinking about point spreads, forecasting games based on probabilities might not be intuitive — but at FiveThirtyEight, we like to think probabilistically.

From FiveThirtyEight

It was estimated in August that the difference in performance between Mahomes and Henne was worth nine points in the typical point spread, which could shift this line quite a bit before kickoff.

From Washington Post

When the point spread has been 10 points or less, as it has been in 16 games, the economy grew 2.4 percent on average.

From The Daily Beast

But in the 11 games when the point spread was 20 points or more, the economy grew an average of 3.5 percent per year.

From The Daily Beast

It was a six point spread between McCain and Obama in the election: between 58 and 59 million people voted against the Democrats.

From The Daily Beast

It was a pleasant diversion to get out of the level valley, which at this point spread out some miles back to the bluffs.

From Project Gutenberg

Peter's thoughts still hovered about old Rose, and from that point spread to the whole system of colored service in the South.

From Project Gutenberg

Southward to the point spread lands owned by the parish, and known as the common pasture.

From Project Gutenberg